# Is "The Open Society and Its Enemies" by Karl Popper a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Open Society and Its Enemies by Karl Popper (George Routledge & Sons, Ltd., London, 1945) is identified by: True first is the two-volume set, George Routledge & Sons, London, 1945 — BOTH volumes are required to be complete: Vol. UK Routledge 1945 is the true first, preceding the first US edition (Princeton University Press, 1950).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- True first is the two-volume set, George Routledge & Sons, London, 1945 — BOTH volumes are required to be complete: Vol
- 1 'The Spell of Plato' (viii + 268 pp) and Vol
- 2 'The High Tide of Prophecy: Hegel and Marx, and the Aftermath' (vi + 352 pp; catalogues variously shorten the Vol
- 2 subtitle to 'Hegel and Marx' or expand it to 'Hegel, Marx, and the Aftermath')
- Publisher's black cloth with gilt spine lettering, in priced dust jackets (price present at the flap; the jackets are scarce)
- The first impression states 'First published 1945' on the verso with no later-impression notice — 1940s Routledge used no number line
- Publisher imprint reads George Routledge & Sons, Ltd., London

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Karl Popper |
| Publisher | George Routledge & Sons, Ltd., London |
| Year | 1945 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | True first is the two-volume set, George Routledge & Sons, London, 1945 — BOTH volumes are required to be complete: Vol |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
True first is the two-volume set, George Routledge & Sons, London, 1945 — BOTH volumes are required to be complete: Vol. 1 'The Spell of Plato' (viii + 268 pp) and Vol. 2 'The High Tide of Prophecy: Hegel and Marx, and the Aftermath' (vi + 352 pp; catalogues variously shorten the Vol. 2 subtitle to 'Hegel and Marx' or expand it to 'Hegel, Marx, and the Aftermath'). Publisher's black cloth with gilt spine lettering, in priced dust jackets (price present at the flap; the jackets are scarce). The first impression states 'First published 1945' on the verso with no later-impression notice — 1940s Routledge used no number line. Confirm both volumes are the 1945 first impression and, ideally, jacketed.

## Is this the true first?
UK Routledge 1945 is the true first, preceding the first US edition (Princeton University Press, 1950). The census note is correct. Later revised Routledge editions (2nd 1952, 4th 1962, and onward) and the Princeton printings are separate and are not the true first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No significant book-club issue for the 1945 first. Primary confusions are the 1950 Princeton University Press US first (a distinct collectible) and the later revised Routledge impressions; priced, unclipped jackets on both 1945 volumes are the collecting point.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Open Society and Its Enemies* by Karl Popper a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-open-society-and-its-enemies
CC BY 4.0. Part of the Canonical First-Edition Points of Issue dataset (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/api/first-edition-titles.json). Last reviewed 2026-07-04.